Automobile-bumper.



J IM imi 3 l n A. L. MCGREGOR. AuToMoiLE BUMPER.

APPLICATlON FILED 0CT.-13|\9l1: 1,300,434. K l Patented Apr. 15, 19ML 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.A

wir

ALLAN LAICGREGOR,

fairen srares wilma* orme GF CHICAGO, ILLIN 01S.

AUTQMOBILE-'BUMEER.

Td all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALLAN L. MC'GREGOR,

a citizen of the United States, and a. resident of Chicago7 in the county of Cook and State of illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile- Bumpers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automobile bumpers,4 particularly to improved construction and arrangement for fastening bumper bars to the body frames of automobiles.

The object of the invention is to provide such simple construction and arrangement that mechanical skill will not be necessary to fasten and adjust the bumper to the machine frame. This will enable purchasers to quickly and readily attach and adjust bumpers `to their cars in the desired position.

The details of my invention will be readily understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which Figure le is a plan View of one side of a bumper stiz'uct'ure and the 'front end of a chassis sidebeam to which the bumper is secured7 y Fig. 2 isa side elevational view of the parts shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an plane 3 3, lfig. 2,

Fig. l is an enlarged sectional `Jiew on plane el--fh Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a side elevational View showing a modified attachment arrangenient, and

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view showing another modified attachment arrangement.

I employ two fittings A and B for securing each supporting arm C ot the bumper structure to the sine .beam l of the vehicle chassis. The side beams shown are channel bars having their front ends deflected downwardly to be pivoted to the elliptic springs e. the flanges f and, y/ of each beam extending laterally inwardly. Each of the fittings A and B comprises an elliptic, plate member l0 and a hook bolt ll. From one end of the plato an abutment lug l2 extends laterally and this lug has the opening 13 therethrough for receiving the shank of the hook bolli, the outer end of the shank being threaded to receive a nut lll. rllhe inner ends o of the supporting arms C of the bumper structure are curved so as to be at an angle, and are provided with a row of holes L through which the Shanks of the hook bolts may pass. In advance of the curved end c Specification of Letters Eatent.

enlarged sectional view-on,

Patented Apr. 15, i919.

each arm C has a hole j, likewise for receiving the shank of ahook bolt. To fasten the supporting arm C to the side beam I, a hook bolt is passed through the hole 13 of a plate member llland through the hole j of a. supporting arm, the hook l1 of lthe bolt passing around one of the beam flanges and with its end against the inner side of such flange. Another hook bolt is passed through another plate member l0 and through one of the holes iz in the curved end of the supporting arm with its hook 11 extending around the flange ofthe beam with its end against the inner side of such flange. The abutment lugs 12 on thc plate members 10 then engage against thc outer sides of.E the respective. flanges and when the nuts ll are drawn tight the supporting arm C will be firmly clamped to the chassis beam e against vertical or longitudinal displacement. The plate members may be arranged in a variety of ways to support thc bumper structures in various horizontal planes or in various positions along the front ends z' of the chassis beams. yIn Figs. l and 2 thc members A and B extend in opposite directions, their lugs 12 engaging Iwith the outer sides of. the flanges f' and g respectively, while the ends of thcihooks 11 of the bolts abut against the inner'fsidcs of these flanges and against the web of the beam, the bumperstructure being supported in horizontal" position. Usually the curved ends of the chassis side beams are reinforced by plates l5 which are secured against the inner side of the beam web by rivets 16. ln order to am-onnnodatethese rivets the plate 10 of each fitting has a longitudinally extending slot 1K7 -for receiving the rivet heads at the oufsifles of the beams. Such engagement of 'tbe plates with the rivets also assists in strengthening the connection of the bumper structure to the beams. The front ends ol' the chassis beams oftentimes serve to support drip pa/hs or other vehicle "parts but with my improved construction and arrangement these parts can readily be avoided in securing the bumper structure tol the beams. lu Fig. 5 is shown an arrangement which could beadopted where the lower parts ot' the beams are utilized for the support of the drip pan or other parts. Hero the plate the upper flange f and the ends of the bolt hooks engaging with the under sides of this "he lower late flange, the ends n of the arms extending upwardly, and the outer hole il therethrough being utilized for the hook bolt. rl`he plate members are also deflected so that their slots 17 receive the outer heads oi the two inner rivets. With thismaimer of attachment the bumper structure is substantiall)v in horizontal alinement with the tops oi the beams l;

ln Fig-(3 the attachment members are directed upwardly, the abutments engaging with the under side of the lower [lange g and the ends of the bolt hooks engaging against the inner side ot this flange, the notches 1"? receiving the head of the second and 'fourth rivets, the bumper structure being in a hori zontal plane a distance below the bodyol the beams I. Thus by a variety of arrange ments ot' the attachment members alunnper structure can be secured in any desired horizontal position from the curved. ends of the beams l, and by using different holes 7L in the ends or' the supporting arm C the bumper structure can be adapted to be inclined from the horizontal, and drip pans or other trame parts can readil)v be avoided.

lV here the vflanges of the beams l are short the bends ot' the bolt hooks will noty engage with the flange ends and when the nuts are drawn up tight the beam webs will be securelyclamped between the hook ends and the plates 1G.

As the distances between the side beams of ditiercnt makes oii automobiles sometimes varies l provide improved means Jrior adjustn ment lwtwecn the supporting arms C and the bumper structure bar l s shown in lfigs, l, 3. and C, the front end ot each bar C is pivoted between the upper and loafer lugs 1 8 and l'l extending i'rom the block 20 Whose forwardly extending upper and lower plates 2l and 22 extend into and engage with the u i a and lower ilanees 23 and 2li of the l l if ot' U-shaped cross section. 22 oleaeh fitting has-the it'me'itudiual slot 25 for receiving a bolt which also extends through a hole 2"? pro-- vided in the lower il: nge orf the bumper bar, With this arrangement the distance between supporting arms (l can readily adjusted to be in accord with the distance between the beams l oi the car to which thelnnnper structure is to be attached. By nuerely loos-oniner the nuts 28 of the bolts il the supportinrr blocks 9.() can readiljy1 be shifted iongitudinally along the bumper bar until the proper distance is obtained, and it-lien the nuts are again tightened and bumper bumper bar D i ,senese shown and referred to as modifications` could no doubt be. made both in construe tion and arrangement which would still come within thel scope of my invention. l claim as follows: l'

l. A clamp tor securing arms of a bumper structure to the side beams of a Yehiele comu prisingl a U-shaped plate for engaging with its legs against 'the outside of a beam and haringr a lug extending laterally ,from its base Jfor engaging with the outer sideof a flange of the beam, a bolt assing through said lug and having its inner endcurved to extend around the beam flange, and a nut for the outer end of said bolt, the space between the, plate legs serving to receive rivet heads or other projections which might be on the outer side of the beam. 5 .e

2. The combination with the curved front end of flanged side beams -of a vehicle and strengthening plates secured thereto y by rivets, oft a bumper structure having rear-* wardly extending supporting arms provided with a plurality of bolt holes at their inner ends, a set of clamps for securing each arm to one oi said side beams, each clamp'eompri-sing a plate and a bolt, said plates being adapted to engage against the outer sides of the respective beams and Yeach plate hav-- ing a lug at, one end for abuttingagainst the outer side of a. flange of the beain,"said bolts passing through said lugs and through the registering holes of the support-ing arms, the inner end of each holt being curved to bridge 'the respective llange, and nutsy for the outer ends of said bolts/said plates havj ing .longitudinally ext-ending slots for re' ALLAN L. lvleGREGOR. 

